1. Field
Embodiments of the invention relate to the field of network processing; and more specifically, to an hierarchical pipelined distributed scheduling traffic manager.
2. Background
Traffic managers are typically used to implement network quality of service (QoS) in a network such as bandwidth usage, delay, jitter, input rate, and output rate. Traffic managers may be used in an integrated services model characterized by resource reservation. For example, real time applications set up paths and reserve resources along the path prior to transmitting data. RSVP (Resource Reservation Protocol) is a signaling protocol for setting up paths and reserving resources. Traffic managers may also be used in a differentiated services model where packets are marked differently to create several different packet classes. Packets in different classes receive different quality of service treatment by the traffic managers. As another example, traffic managers may be used in a MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) network where packets are assigned labels at the ingress and subsequent classification, forwarding, and quality of service for those packets are based on the labels.
Commonly, to achieve network QoS levels, packets are classified, marked, policed, and shaped by traffic managers. Typically, traffic managers are usually implemented in a flat, non-pipeline, central scheduling approach. Typical traffic managers are required to scan the queues for requesters (e.g., those packets that need processing by the traffic manager).